Big Sur - Paso Robles Trip

Greetings... we just got back from an amazing trip to our favorite vino destination, Paso Robles and decided to sacrifice a day of wine tasting to hit up nearby Big Sur. Kristina nor I have ever been through Big Sur, so aside from checking it out on the internet, we really didn't know what to expect. Growing up in Southern California as I have, one gets a jaded perception of what coastline should look like and what effect it can have on you. Needless to say, I was thouroughly impressed by the majesty of Big Sur. Obviously, I didn't expect to find young women tanning or Bro's riding around drunk on beach cruisers, but I also did not expect to become so instantly entranced by it. Well, thats enough of that. As you can see in our pictures, there were beautiful waterfalls that went out to the beach, huge rocky cliffs that hugged the coastline, etc. We wrapped up the day at Nepenthe, probably the best view of any restaurant I have ever been to. I highly reccomend it to anyone making the trip. Oh yeah, Paso was awesome too. As usual, we hit up all of our favorite wineries, made new friends and had some awesome dinners. New restaurant in Paso that is worth mentioning is Artisan. Amazing fish dishes and a great wine list.

Halloween 06 at Boo-dega

I know Halloween was on a Tuesday this year, but there was no way we weren't going out. It is one of the funnest holidays... hands down. We hit up Bodega, a local Enoteca. And it did not dissapoint, although I am probably biased due to the fact there were two awesome costumes; Zoolander and Mugatu. The guys probably thought I was gay after they saw how stoked I was on their costumes. I went as Magnum P.I. and K was a Geisha. We rolled out with some of her co-workers. I thought about what the best costumes our group had over the years and compiled a little list (top 5):

5. Brandon as David Beckham (actually it was probably the laziest costume of all time)
4. Collins and Bokow as Mormons (so un p.c.)
3. Jake as a Priest (irony?)
2. Crutchfield as a box of Franzia (Genius)
1. The Tennenbaums (Blee, Bell, and myself)

Beard Papas

I let the Krispy Kreme craze fly right by. Beard Papa's however pulled me in with it's tractor beam, if you are not familiar with Beard Papa's I will fill you in. It's a cream puff. Not just any cream puff, but a cream puff that just arrived her in LA (sawtelle to be exact). It hails from Japan, and if you are lucky enough to snag one before they sell out, you will be hooked on them and will soon fiend them at the most random times. It is the Japanese version of the Krispy Kreme and I can see why. It has a light egg-y, croissant-textured shell with a cream custard filling and is sprinkled with powdered sugar. If you take my advice and seek out this deliciousness give me a call, I will ride shotgun.

Karrens Wedding

Kristina, BLee, and I had the honor of attending my good college friend Karrens wedding last weekend. There was a lot to take in. First of all, the ceremony was in Armenian (my second Armenian wedding in a year) but it was very interesting. We didn't know when to sit or stand unless we followed the lead of everyone else. I grew up Catholic, and I thought our ceremonies were long. But when you attend an entire ceremony in a foreign language, it tends to magnify the length of the wedding quite a bit. His wife, Ani, looked amazing and I have never seen Karren so stoked. Congratulations Buddy! The reception was great, there was an amazing array of different types of foods... very good. I am a huge Zankou fan, but alas, there was no Tarna to be had. Karren's cousin Fred Kazakyhan whom we were also fraternity brothers with in college looks as though he put on some lbs, but is doing good for himself. The best surprise of the night was the music and dancing, apparently Karren and his cousins have been taking Armenian dancing lessons since they were children growing up in Glendale. I was a bit surprised to say the least... let's just say I had never seen Karren dance like that when we were bumping Dr. Dre at the Pike house in IV. I am sure Karren and Ani will be together for a long time. One more note... sorry Raffi, but the Torosyans can bust some great moves on the dance floor.... not to take anything away from the Zerounians.

Welcome to a glimpse of my world

So let me start off by saying, I have never been the type to keep a diary or any of that type of nonsense. My aim for starting a blog is to let my friends, family, and fellow apes share in my lifes adventures or lack thereof at times. I have always benefited from reading the blogs of others with suggestions on places to eat, things to see, and other types of life experiences that I can draw from. I guess this would also aim to give back to the web society that has enriched me at times. If you know me and are reading this, you will already know that I grew up in So Cal all my life and I attended UCSB, which was pretty much were my adult life began; made my current friends, learned what a freak I really am, and most importantly met the love of my life.... Kristina. Hi Babe. Let's have some fun with this. Check back for updates people. And may the Apes run wild like salmon of Capistrano.